Chapter 28: Together

October 18, 1984, McKinley, Ohio

On Thursday, Clarissa, Sandy, and I had our fifth and final interviews in Pittsburgh. It followed the same basic pattern as the other four. Each of the schools — McKinley, OSU, UC, Indiana, and Pittsburgh had something to recommend itself. The girls and I discussed the strengths and weaknesses of each of the four schools besides McKinley, and decided, if we all didn't get into McKinley, our order of choices would be UC, Indiana, Pittsburgh, and then OSU.

Any school other than McKinley would require making alternate living arrangements for Elizaveta and me, as well as sorting out finishing High School for Elizaveta. Clarissa wouldn't be able to live at Doctor Blahnik's house, either. Pete had applied to Master's programs in each city, and so long as he got into a program in the same city as our medical school, he'd be fine. If that didn't happen, it would create a potential issue for him and Sandy. The obvious hope was that we'd all be accepted at McKinley.

When we arrived back on campus, we all checked our mailboxes and were disappointed to find no letters from any of the schools, and headed upstairs to hang out in my room. I put on some music, and over the next hour, most of our friends trickled in.

"Do we get to throw you a bachelor party?" Robby asked.

"So long as it doesn't get TOO out of hand," I replied.

"Strippers?" Sophia asked with a smirk.

"Probably a bad idea," I replied.

"Got it," Lee grinned. "Cancel the Chippendales!"

Everyone laughed except for Kimiko. Brandon leaned over to whisper in her ear, and she smiled knowingly. They'd been spending more time together, but given her complete aversion to any kind of public display of affection, there was no way, without prying, to know if they were dating. I still helped her occasionally with homework, but she and a small group of Sophomores had their own study group.

"What about alcohol?" Robby asked.

"No problem for me if you guys want to have booze there, but remember, the rules changed."

Robby frowned, "America — we're drafting your sorry butt into the Army so you can be killed by some other sorry draftee from some God-forsaken country, but heaven forbid we let you have a beer before you die! What a country!"

"You don't have anything to worry about," Clarissa smirked. "They don't take gays!"

"That wasn't exactly my point," Robby grinned, "but I won't complain."

"You wouldn't defend your country?" Pete asked.

"If it was invaded? Sure. But dying in Viet Nam or Grenada or wherever? No way. I had an uncle who died in Viet Nam, and for what?"

"I suppose that's a reasonable position," Pete said. "But Clarissa's right, you'd be rejected for being gay. Mike, what would you do?"

"Conscientious Objector status, and ask for a non-combat position. In a couple of years, I'd be a medic or doctor, so I probably wouldn't have to even voice the objection, though I would on principle. It's also possible I'd be a chaplain. I wouldn't be able to serve in any combat role because a clergyman who causes a death is pretty much automatically laicized. That's why our bishops don't drive their own cars. Even an accidental death causes a significant problem."

"You're serious?" Jocelyn asked. "A situation like my accident would lead to your bishop being removed or whatever?"

"Yes. It removes all doubt in the minds of the faithful. It's the same point with a soldier who kills while serving his country, not receiving Eucharist for a year."

"And if a patient dies at your hands? Not because you've done anything wrong, mind you, but because of their injuries or whatever?"

"I spoke with the bishop about that, and a deacon who is also a physician is dealt with by «ekonomia», and the faithful understand that. Now, if, as a doctor, I was found to have intentionally caused a death or acted with extreme negligence, I'd lose my license AND be laicized. Generally, priests are not physicians, though I know of one in Toledo who is. I believe he's an orthopedist, which means it's pretty tough to have anything happen that would present a problem."

"But if Father Nicholas were involved in a fatal traffic accident?" Clarissa asked.

"Barring some kind of extreme «ekonomia», he'd have to be laicized. Let's just say that there are far bigger risks."

"Cheating?"

I chuckled, "In either case — Father Nicholas or me — I don't think we'd live long enough to be laicized."

Everyone laughed.

"Russian women seem to lay down the law pretty firmly," José said. "And make it stick!"

"They aren't the ONLY ones!" Sarah said menacingly, causing more laughter.

"Did you guys hear anything at all yet?" Sophia asked.

"No," Sandy replied. "Nothing in our mailboxes today. And you know we just interviewed in Pittsburgh this morning."

"Robby mentioned the bachelor party," Lara said. "Is someone doing a bridal shower for Elizaveta?"

"Ask Mrs. Sokolova," I replied. "She's the one who'll know what the plans are. But you might want to consider a secular one to go along with whatever the ladies at church do. I'm sure the men at church will arrange something, and most likely the night before. Robby, I'd suggest Friday night."

"Think Doctor Blahnik will let the guys have our party at her house?" Lara asked.

"Probably," I replied. "Just ask her. And please make sure Milena, Joel, Liz, Paul, and Emmy get invitations to the appropriate party."

"Any plans for the rest of the day?" Jocelyn asked.

"None that I'm aware of except studying tonight."

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, then had dinner in the cafeteria, and after dinner, we did our homework and studied.

October 19, 1984, McKinley, Ohio

On Friday afternoon, after analytical chemistry, I found a letter in my mailbox from UC, accepting me into their program. It wasn't the one I wanted to find, but it meant I was in medical school, no matter what. Clarissa also received a letter from UC, but Sandy didn't.

"Well, that sucks," Sandy sighed as we got into the elevators.

"I wouldn't read anything into it at this point," Clarissa said. "All five medical schools said it could be early February before we heard anything. We were hoping it would be now, and really, I'm surprised none of us heard from McKinley."

"Same here," I replied. "That's the one I expected first."

"What will you do if we all get into UC and not McKinley?" Sandy asked.

"The biggest problem would be with Elizaveta finishing High School. Obviously, she could switch schools, but anywhere besides McKinley complicates things."

"And with church, too."

"I know, but I fully expect we'll all get into McKinley."

"You have your date tonight, right?" Clarissa asked.

"Yes."

"Friday is a bad day for that, isn't it?"

"It can be, but Chinese is perfectly fine, and we're OK with shrimp for protein. Also, please don't forget Elizaveta and I are going to Milford tomorrow to see Doctor Mercer."

"That ought to be interesting," Clarissa observed with a slight smile.

"You mean because Doctor Mercer doesn't approve?"

"Exactly."

"I think that's a good thing because she's going to point out all the potential pitfalls, and that will help us address anything which might arise in the future. Do you really think either of us will change our minds?"

"No, of course not! But that doesn't mean it won't be interesting!"

"Let's go hang out until it's time for your date."

Clarissa, Sandy, and I went up to my room, where I put on Purple Rain, and we relaxed. Other friends came in and out over the two hours, including Melody, who had news.

"He finally agreed!" she declared. "He tried to put a ton of conditions on the debate, but we rejected most of them."

"What's the plan?"

"It'll be held here, in the main auditorium, on November 3rd at 1:00pm. It'll be a crossfire debate where you each give some kind of introduction, then one asks a question of the other, and there is a response and a rebuttal, which can involve back and forth. Then you switch. Each of you can ask up to ten questions."

"Do they have to be submitted in advance?" I asked.

"No."

"That should be interesting," I chuckled. "Fundamentally, he can't ask me a 'gotcha' question because there are none. I, on the other hand, have quite a few I can ask him. One question — which Bible are we using?"

"He said he'll only debate using the NIV."

I shook my head, "That's a badly translated version and purposefully corrupts the Scripture. Not only that, it's incomplete."

"Incomplete?"

"Incomplete. There are 10 books Protestants call 'Apocryphal', which some Protestant groups dropped from the Old Testament in the 16th Century, as well as some not used by the Western Church. The 1611 King James Version contained some, but not all of them. Those books we continue to use are more properly called the 'Deuterocanon'. One of my key points would be about that. In fact it's a key point which undermines his entire claim. I can't agree if you've tied my hands that way because I need to be able to use MY Bible, which, as I've said, is different from his."

"Shit!" Melody exclaimed. "I let him trap me!"

"Did you at least leave an out that Mike had to agree to the terms?" Clarissa asked.

"I assumed Mike would be OK with pretty much anything. I fucked up pretty badly. I assumed the Bible was the Bible."

"The Roman Catholics have a slightly different configuration, but it's very, very close to ours, which is, of course, older. I'm sure Reverend Saddler knew that, and that's why he insisted on the NIV."

"Is there a specific thing you can point out that is purposefully mistranslated?"

"Yes. One important example is that whenever the Greek word «παραδόσεις» (paradosis) is used in a negative sense, it's translated 'traditions', and whenever it's used in a positive sense, it's translated 'teachings'. They do add footnotes which say 'or traditions' but most people likely miss that, and more importantly, if you use a concordance, it'll ONLY show you negative use of the word 'tradition'. It's intellectually dishonest and intended to purposefully deceive."

"Mike," Sandy said, "I'm no expert, but isn't that a way to completely disarm him? In other words, make that your FIRST point, and that gives you your segue."

"Ambush him!" Melody exclaimed. "Don't protest; just come out with guns blazing and destroy his argument in the first five minutes."

I nodded, "And then point out that books were removed. I know he'll be prepared for the 'by faith alone' point and the 'sheep and the goats' point, but I doubt he'll be prepared for this because he thinks he won by picking his Bible version. Fine. I'll do it."

"Thanks," Melody replied. "I messed up, and I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven. Just play it cool, though. Did you at least ensure he can't fill the auditorium with his people?"

"That was one concession I wouldn't give. He only gets 10% of the tickets. The rest are for students on campus. I wouldn't budge on that one because it was obvious what he was trying to do."

"What other conditions?"

"No liturgical clothing."

I laughed, "Perfect. He can't wear a business suit."

"What?"

"That's his liturgical clothing. I'm going to wear a tie. He's not allowed because that's required for his church services. If he gets to wear a tie, I get to wear my cassock. Period."

"He'll flip!"

"Don't tell him!" Clarissa said. "When he arrives, Mike objects that he's wearing his 'preaching clothes'."

I shook my head, "No. Tell him in advance. The other way makes it look like a setup. Tell him no jacket or sport coat and no tie."

"What do I say if he objects?"

"That if he can wear his uniform, so can I."

"What point are you trying to make, Mike?" Sandy asked.

"Just to make a point," I replied. "I'll make a point about him doing a liturgy, too. Melody, do you think you can get me an order of service from his church?"

"Sure. It's in the bulletin they publish. I actually have one."

"Perfect. And now, I need to shower and dress for my date. Make all the arrangements, Mel."

"Thanks, Mike. And thanks for finding a way around my screw-ups."

"Don't worry about it!"

Everyone left, and I showered, dressed, and headed to Elizaveta's house. I rang the bell, and when she answered, I went inside to greet her dad, then Elizaveta and I left for the Chinese Restaurant.

"Clarissa and I received acceptance letters to UC today."

"That's good!" Elizaveta replied. "But it's not the one we want!"

"But, it means I'm in medical school for sure, which is the major hurdle. Every other problem can be solved one way or the other! I'm sure we'll hear from McKinley soon."

"What time will you pick me up tomorrow?"

"6:00am. We'll stop for breakfast in Rutherford with Liz and Paul as we planned."

"Are we going to see your parents?"

"Yes, though we won't stay too long. We'll be back here for Vespers."

"OK. Did anything ever happen with that Protestant preacher?"

"Yes. Melody finally set things up. It will be on November 3rd at 1:00pm. Would you like to be there?"

"To see you mop the floor with him?! Yes!"

"You have a lot of confidence in me."

"First of all, you're going to be my husband. Second, I've heard you teach Sunday School, so I'm sure you have the answers. And third, the Holy Spirit is with you, not him!"

"We'll need to eat early on that Saturday if that's possible."

"Of course it is! I'll plan the meal for 11:00am."

We had a very nice dinner at the Chinese restaurant, and because there was nothing playing at the movies we wanted to see, we went for ice cream and then back to Elizaveta's house to spend some time together.

October 20, 1984, Milford & Cincinnati, Ohio

On Saturday morning, I picked up Elizaveta as planned, and we drove to Rutherford for breakfast with Liz and Paul. Liz had had lunch with Mom the day before and said that it had gone OK, at least in the sense that there was no yelling or screaming. Mom hadn't come to terms with the situation, but based on what Liz said and my conversation with Mom, I felt we were making a bit of progress. After breakfast, Elizaveta and I headed to Milford for our first pre-marital counseling session with Doctor Mercer.

"Good morning!" Doctor Mercer said when we walked into her office.

"Good morning, Doctor Mercer," I replied, shutting the door. "This is Elizaveta Kozlova, my fiancée."

"Nice to meet you, Elizaveta," Doctor Mercer said. "Please, both of you, sit down."

We sat in the comfortable leather chairs which faced Doctor Mercer's desk.

"Actually, now that I think about it, Mike, would you mind if I spoke with Elizaveta alone?"

She had reassured me when I confirmed the appointment that her goal was not to stop us but to help us, despite her serious misgivings about Elizaveta's age. I'd suggested to Elizaveta that what Doctor Mercer was proposing was likely to occur, so she was prepared for it.

"No," I replied, "I don't mind so long as Elizaveta is OK with it."

"It's OK, Doctor Mercer," Elizaveta said. "Mike mentioned that you might want to talk to me alone."

I got up from the chair and left the office, closing the door behind me. I sat down in the waiting room and scanned the magazines on the table. I picked up the latest edition of Time, which had a cover story about a crackdown on the Mafia and flipped through the pages, looking for interesting articles to read. I found one about Richard Miller, an FBI Agent who had been arrested a few weeks earlier on espionage charges. He'd allegedly conspired with two Russian immigrants, Svetlana and Nikolai Ogorodnikov, to provide classified documents in exchange for money. I couldn't imagine any of my immigrant friends or family countenancing such a thing, let alone doing it.

I finished that article, then read one about how Gillette was giving up on selling a disposable lighter which had failed to dethrone the Bic disposable, which was the only one I'd ever seen in the Quick Mart or Kroger. They were selling their lighter to another company which would take over production. I was just about to start reading an article about the Soviet space station when the door to Doctor Mercer's office opened, and Elizaveta waved for me to come in. I put the magazine down, got up, and went into the office, closing the door behind me, and retook my seat.

"I think what I'd like to do is begin with problem-solving strategies. I'm sure you've heard the advice 'never go to bed angry', well, I'd like to modify that and work to ensure you don't get angry in the first place. There is going to be severe pressure on your relationship while Mike is studying and doing his Residency, and that has the potential to turn even minor disagreements into major ones.

"Residency presents a special problem because of the schedule, so I think we'll leave that for the future. Right now, I'd like to suggest that in addition to scheduling private time together, you also schedule what I would call 'trouble-shooting' sessions. And that's when you set aside some time to sit down and honestly talk to each other about anything that's bothering you, or adding additional stress, or you think is creating division. You can do this as a couple or invite someone to work with you — your pastor, your sponsors, or someone like me.

"You don't want to do it at meals, or while you're doing chores, or while you're driving for a date night. This needs to be quiet time, which, in your case, probably starts and ends with whatever prayer is appropriate. Make sure you allow enough time to really talk things through. It doesn't have to be daily or weekly, but I would suggest twice a month, though if problems arise, they should be dealt with quickly."

We had a forty-minute discussion about how to talk to each other, with the main advice being to carefully listen and ask questions to ensure we understood each other. Doctor Mercer also focused on the necessity to compromise, looking me directly in the eyes when she did so, making clear to me that I was going to have to do most of the work to find the correct balance based on Elizaveta's needs. When we finished, she asked to speak privately with me, so Elizaveta went to the waiting area.

"I still have my reservations because of Elizaveta's age," Doctor Mercer said, "but I'm convinced nobody pressured her into this marriage, except perhaps your bishop and that was only indirectly by his wish to ordain you as soon as possible, and not directed specifically at Elizaveta. She seems well-adjusted, intelligent, and mature for her age. And finally, I think her expectations are set correctly due to her talks with the other clergy wives and the doctor's wife. That said, she does seem to think marriage means sex every night."